Swimming-shoe.



J. MEE.

SWIMMING SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5' 1916.

1 ,202,083 Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

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Jenn Man, or noncnnsrnn, mnssnenusnrrs.

SWI ING-siren.

' Specification of Lettersiatent. I 'eg 'md 1;, 241, 19 15,

Application filed February 5, 1916. i Serial No. 76,463.

17 To all whom 225 may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Man, a citizen of the United States, residing atDorchester,

in the county of Suffolk, in the State of Massachusetts,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Swimming- Shoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide an effective, and reasonably cheap, form of webbed shoe by the aid of which a swimmer may increase his speed materially; my present improvement lconsisting essentially of a novel construction of hinged web, that is foldably mounted on a shoe sole, adapted to automatically open so as to present a broad surface to the water at each rearward, or pushing, movement of the foot, and to close automatically at each forward movement of the foot of the wearer, in order to feather or fold the web and thus offer but slight resistance to the water.

For the purpose of clearly explaining my said invention I have provided the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a swimming shoe embodying my present improvement, and Fig. 2 is an under side plan view of said shoe, the hinged'web being partly broken away to show more clearly thehinged ribs to which the web is secured. Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of said Fig; 2 and Fig. 4 is a relatively enlarged detail view of one of the hinge connections.

Referring to these drawings, the numeral 10 denotes a shoe of ordinary make having its heel built up, by addition of an extension 11 to a height equal, or about equal, to the height of the web extension when said web-is spread open as seen in the drawings, this provision of the heel extension being made to relieve the strain upon the web when the wearer of the shoe is standing or walking on the ground. Secured to the shoe sole, and extending longitudinally of said sole is a substantial metal plate 12 whose front end portion is extended to provide a rigid horn 13. Along the opposite edges of the plate 12 are several extensions ll to which are hinged ribs 15 whose outer ends are connected by flexible cords 16 to, which is secured, by stitching, or otherwise, a web 17 of, preferably, rubberized cloth. The web is also extended forwardly and secured tov the horn .13 and vto cords or wires18 whichiconnect the free end of the horn with the outer ends of the next adjacent ribs 15.

The web, and its side supports, as described, are adapted to be readily folded, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8 or to be extended to approximately a flat position as in full lines in said Fig. 3; the opening movement of-the web being, however, limited by ribs 19 that are'raised along the opposite edges of the shoe sole. To prevent the ribs 15 from folding too closely together I have extended the inner ends of the said ribs beyond the hinge, as at 15 and so that said extension will abut the plate portion 14 before the ribs 15 assume a right angular relation to the shoe sole. The web is then held open so that the water may readily enter between the opposing folded sides of the web when the wearer is about to push his foot rearward in the act of swimming. The rigid horn 13, at the front of the shoe, serves as a sgipport for the front end portion of the we 'Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination with a shoe-sole, a plate fixedly secured to said sole and formed with a rigid extension at one end, said rigid extension being angular in longitudinal direction, its outer end portion being deflected or inclined forwardly, and downwardly, a plurality of arms hinged to the said plate, and a flexible web secured to the said arms and said rigid extension.

2. In combination with a shoe-sole, a plate fixedly secured to said sole and formed with a rigid extension at one end, said sole being equipped along its longitudinal edges with longitudinal ribs to control the opening movement of the web and said rigid extension being angular in longitudinal direction, its outer end-portion being deflected or inclined forwardly and downwardly, a plurality of arms hinged to the opposite edges of said plate, and a flexible web secured to the said arms and said rigid extension.

3. A swimming-shoe, including a plate secured longitudinally of the bottom of the shoe, said plate having a. plurality of spaced extensions at its lateral edges and a rigid longitudinal extension at its forward end, said longitudinal extension being angular in longitudinal direction, the outer end-portion thereof being inclined downwardly and forwardly, a plurality of ribs hinged ribs and secured to said flexible connection to said plate lateral extensions, With their and to said rigid longitudinal extension, said 10 inner ends extending inwardly beyond their shoe having secured to the bottom of its sole, hinges and adapted to engage said lateral along the longitudinal edges thereof, oppo- 5 extensions tocontrol the movement of said site ribs, the inner ends of said hinged ribs ribs with respect to each other, a flexible engaging said sole-attached ribs to control connection between said ribs and longitudithe outward movement of the latter ribs. nal extension, and a web applied to said JOHN MEE.

' Copies of thin patent may be obtained tor ave cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner 0! Patents Washington, D. 0. a 

